


Blue Eyes at Night

by Rainboq



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: All the usual warnings around Mark Jefferson, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Childhood Friends, Eventual Smut, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Half-Vampires, Useless Lesbian Vampire, Useless Lesbians, Vampire Chloe Price
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:35:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29706909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainboq/pseuds/Rainboq
Summary: Max is just settling in at Blackwell, getting used to being back in Arcadia Bay and working up the courage to get in touch with Chloe again. Little does she know just how much Arcadia Bay and her former best friend have changed.-or-Chloe is a fledgling vampire and Max's chronic nosebleeds are a fucking problem.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield & Kate Marsh, Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price
Comments: 27
Kudos: 91





	1. A Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CHAOSMAXINE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CHAOSMAXINE/gifts).



Max breathes in deeply, savouring the salty tang of the evening ocean air as she tries to steady her tripod in the sand. _I forgot how cold it gets at night in the bay. Maybe I should have brought my jacket._

Using her feet to pile up some sand, she makes a little mound so she can look through the viewfinder properly and start lining up her shot. _If landscapes are what Jefferson wants, landscapes are what he shall get. I just hope he’ll be okay with me using my Polaroid instead of the digitals we can borrow._

Biting down her lip a bit, she starts making minute adjustments to the setup. _No, no, that’s still not right. Just gotta wait for the sun to set some more to give me the gradient I want._

She steps back from her camera, kicking off her Converse and pulling her socks off so she can wiggle her toes in the sand. Nostalgia rushes back. There’s been so much of it since she got back into town for Blackwell just a week or so ago. Flashes of her happy childhood, favourite hiding places, the trees that were the best for climbing, old stores she’d used to visit. So many memories with…

 _Chloe._ The nostalgia is drowned with regret. Her greatest regret. The best friend she bailed on her time of utmost need and- “Shit!”

Max groans as she feels a familiar trickle of warmth dribbling down from her nose to her upper lip. Tilting her head back, she reaches into her trusty messenger bag and pulls out a tissue as the blood starts to run down over her lip. She reaches up a hand to keep it from flowing down to her shirt as she presses the tissue into place. _I’m so sick of these fucking nose bleeds. Fucking doctor just handing me iron pills. Maybe I should have gone out east or something, or down south where it’s dryer._

The blood continues it’s trickle, so she twists up one end of the tissue and shoves it up her nose. _Great, now my hand is covered in blood, ugh. At least the shot isn’t ready, I can just go wash it off in the surf._

As quick as she can without dislodging the tissue slowly soaking with blood, she jogs down to the surf and rinses off her hand in ankle deep water before jogging back to her camera. _Huh, I don’t remember that truck being there. Looks like a total junker, what kind of maniac would drive in something like that?_

“Alright, let’s see how this is coming along.” She mutters to herself as she gets back onto her little sand mound and peers through the viewfinder. “So, so close.”

Her hand snakes up to gentle rest on the shutter button as she waits for that perfect moment, when the barely remaining sliver of sun is catching the waves in just the way she wants it to.

Click.

Whirr.

“There we go.” She sighs with relief, pulling her head back.

“Guess Blackwell has started up again.” Says a bored sounding woman’s voice from behind her. “The sun setting beneath the waves, totally gonna get you top marks.”

Max bristles at the unasked-for criticism. If she had any confidence, she’d wheel around and shout at the peanut gallery about how every photographer can capture the same scene differently. Instead she slumps her shoulders and turns to face this person.

In the amber glow of the dusk light, the woman leaning against a faded and battered beach garbage bin with her arms folded looks down right pretty. Blue hair topped with a dark blue beanie cascades down over a pale face, her leather jacket, patched jeans and several sizes too large tank top giving her this air of danger and adventure. But there’s something oddly familiar about her face, but she can’t quite-

“Holy shit, Max?!”

“Chloe?!” Max gasps, nearly falling over at the shock of recognition.

A moment of silence stretches out. There are a billion things she wants to say. She’s imagined this moment millions and millions of times. It all log jams in her throat as she stares open mouthed at her old best friend.

Chloe seems similarly dumbstruck, but she manages to figure out something to say first. Her hand lifts and points to the bloody tissue on the ground and then Max’s face. “You’re, uh, bleeding.”

“Shit!” Max feels the blood rolling over the clotted up stuff on her upper lip, filling her mouth with that familiar copper tang and rolling down her to her chin. She cups her hand under the chin to catch the dropping blood, reaching for her bag with her free hand.

“Where are the tissues?” Chloe asks, suddenly at her side in the blink of an eye.

“Zipper pouch.” Max replies as best she can while catching the flow of blood.

Then Chloe’s hand is in her face, a tissue in her grasp as she starts mopping up the blood. Max tilts her head back so Chloe can get better access.

“You get these a lot?” Chloe asks, a slight waver in her voice.

“Yeah, not long after…”

“Oh.” Is all Chloe can say as she finishes mopping up Max’s face and grabs a fresh tissue, twisting it up and gently holding Max’s face in place with her fingers as she moves to push the tissue up to stop the bleeding. The sudden intimacy of the moment causes Max’s breath to catch in her throat, her eyes wide as she can feel Chloe’s fingers trembling against her chin. Years apart, and then suddenly this?

Just as suddenly as it happened, the moment is past. Chloe lets go of her face and takes a step back. Her eyes wide and looking away from Max. _Did she feel it too? I felt her fingers trembling. I’m not making that up, right?_

“I’ve, uh, got some water in my truck if you need to wash up. Don’t want to get blood on your pic, right?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Max nods dumbly, her hand moving up to hold the tissue in place. _I feel way more woozy than I should… I guess it was really bad. Wait, did I eat anything for dinner? I think I skipped dinner. Crap. I need to stop doing that._

“Back in a sec.” Chloe mumbles before she dashes off towards her truck.

 _Damn, how can she run so fast in boots with heels like that? I mean, she was always way more athletic than me but that’s not saying much._ Max turns and starts walking back towards her camera, eager to get a good look at her shot without touching it. _At least the wind isn’t bad today, it’s just resting in the camera right now._

“Water?”

Max nearly jumps at Chloe’s sudden reappearance. “Holy shit! That was fast.”

“I have my ways.” Chloe replies in a teasing tone, shooting Max a wink. “Come on, let’s get you washed up.”

Max cups her hands and Chloe dribbles some water out of a disposable bottle into them. The still clotting blood on her hand is washed away quickly and she waves the hand off in the air to flick the water off before pulling out another tissue. Chloe soaks the tissue in some water and Max rubs it on her face, sighing with relief as the crusted blood scrubs clear.

“Hold on, you missed a spot.” Chloe takes the tissue from her hand and scrubs lightly on Max’s chin for a moment before pulling back and nodding. “All cleaned up.”

“Minus the tissue up my nose.” Max grumbles softly as she steps in front of her camera, eager to get a look at her shot.

“So you’re still a photography nerd, huh?”

“As if I could do anything else.” Max mumbles as she holds the still developing photo gingerly in her hands. _Exactly what I wanted, but will Mr.Jefferson like it?_

“Still selling yourself short, I see.” Chloe says with a laugh. “How’d it turn out?”

“I hope it’s good. Now I just need to pack this all up and wait for the bus back to campus.”

“Bus no more, Max! I can just drive you.”

 _Oh no, that beat up truck is totally hers, isn’t it._ “I-I don’t want to be a burden on you or anything.”

Chloe laughs, but her expression is unreadable in the evening glow. _Wait, I don’t remember her teeth looking that sharp._ “Five years and you’re still Max Caulfield. You could at least _pretend_ to be happy to see me.”

 _Oh, no no no, I’m already messing up!_ “I am actually glad to see you, and I’m really sorry about not staying in touch. Leaving you like that is the biggest regret of my life.”

There’s a bit more silence as Chloe crosses her arms and looks at Max like she’s judging her sincerity before shrugging. “Girl, you came here for Blackwell, not me. It’s been, what, two weeks since classes started?”

Max winces, her free hand going up to rub the back of her neck. “I honestly thought you’d be off at college by now. I didn’t even know you were still in town.”

“I mean you coulda visited my mom, dork.” Chloe snorts and rolls her eyes. “Come on, don’t give me that look. I don’t hate you or anything just…”

“It feels like you should hate me… I was totally going to try and reach out, maybe see you sometime. I just didn’t want to be such a shy cliche geek before seeing you again.”

“Max, I’ve known you since you came up to like my knee. When did you being the dorkmeister herself ever stop me from wanting to hang out?” Chloe shakes her head. “Has your nose stopped bleeding, at least?”

“I think so.” Max pulls the tissue free to check. Sure enough, all the blood has dried up. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Cool, I’m not down for you to bleed all over my truck, hippy. Lets get this stuff packed up and I’ll give you a ride back to the dorms or something.”

 _Oh wow, okay, so I didn’t totally just blow my chance to catch up with Chloe._ “Oh, um, okay. Sure.”

“Want me to carry the tripod up to my truck while you get your shoes and socks back on, then?”

“Yeah, sure, just let me get my camera down.” Max reaches up and starts screwing her camera off of the adapter joint for the more modern tripod.

“Look at you, rocking it old school.” Max can practically hear the smirk in Chloe’s voice. “Bet you’re a total hipster now.”

“Liking old cameras does _not_ make me a hipster.” Max turns and mock-pouts at Chloe, who just smirks at her. “That’s my taste in music and fashion.”

Chloe cackles as Max finishes getting her camera off of the tripod. “She admits it!”

“Yeah, yeah. Help me break this down, O punk queen of the beach?”

“Damn, busting out the sass on me already. I think I like my Caulfield a little more meek.”

Max laughs as she sticks her tongue out, “Too bad you’re in my element now. Careful, or I might just have to start taking pictures of you.”

“Nah, don’t waste your film. We gotta get a move on.”

Breaking down the tripod is pretty quick, and soon Max is walking along behind Chloe, who has the tripod tucked neatly under her arm, her shoes and socks in hand until she reaches the narrow strip of grass between the beach and the gravel parking lot where Chloe’s junker is sitting. Max wipes her feet off in the grass before pulling her socks and shoes back on. _I still can’t believe it’s really Chloe. This feels like something out of a crazy yet awesome dream._

_Chloe looks great, I’m glad she finally used the blue hair dye we got when we were kids, and the punk stuff really suits her._

There’s a dull thunk as Chloe hefts the tripod into the bed of her truck, seemingly with little effort. _Damn, I guess she has upper body strength, then. That tripod is stupid heavy for my noodle arms._

With her shoes on, Max gets back to her feet and trots over to the truck. “You sure this is safe to drive in?”

“Don’t insult my truck if you want a ride, Caulfield.” Chloe replies in a teasing tone, “Now hop in.”

Max throws the door open and slides into the truck. The interior is a mess, full of graffiti, paneling that has definitely seen better days and… “Is that a cooler? Chloe, why is there a cooler between the seats?”

Chloe, who had just opened the driver’s side door, shrugs. “Yeah, what about it?”

“What’s in there?”

“Just some beers. I was planning on going to a party later tonight.” Chloe answers as she gets into her seat.

“Ugh, yuck, I hate the taste of beer.”

Chloe laughs loudly as she starts the engine. “Yeah, you’re definitely still Max Caulfield alright. So, to the dorms, then?”

“Yeah, thank you so much for the ride. I guess there’s going to be a party on the beach tonight.”

“It’s cool, and nah, it’s up at the old mill, I was just killing time. And it’s seriously good seeing you again, Max. This town was hella shitty without you.”

“Hella?” Max giggles a bit as Chloe backs out of the gravel parking lot. “Where’d you get that from?”

“Just a girl I used to know.” Chloe sighs softly, an index finger tapping on the steering wheel.

“Oh yeah?”

“Jealous much, Caulfield?”

“No, just curious.” Max sighs as she fidgets with her bag.

“It’s cool. I picked it up from Rachel Amber.”

Max jerks upright in her seat, as the recognition hits her. “Wait a minute, the girl from the missing posters?”

“Yeah, yours truly put them up.”

“I’m so sorry, Chloe. You two must have been close.”

There’s a few moments of silence followed by a sigh as Chloe sags in her seat. “That’s putting it mildly. She was my angel, and just poof, vanished. I miss her.”

“I can’t imagine…” Max turns to stare out her window and her partial reflection stares back at her, full of the icey guilt she feels in her stomach.

“Look, I don’t want a pity party, alright? I imagine you feel hella guilty already.”

 _How can I not? I bail on you for years right when your dad dies, you replace me and then she up and vanishes…_ “Alright.”

“Tell you what, if you really want to make it up to me, we can hang out and maybe look for her or something.”

The offer to just hang out with Chloe again, to rebuild those lost bridges and see the kind of person her old best friend had become, fills Max’s heart with renewed warmth. “I’d love to, and I don’t mind staying up late.”

Chloe laughs and shakes her head. “Says the one who used to fall asleep watching movies all the time.”

“I can be full of surprises. Like maybe I want to go to one of those parties you were talking about.”

The laughter dies instantly, Chloe’s lips drawing thin as she grips the steering wheel tight. “That is a hella bad idea. So not your scene, Miss ‘beer is gross’.”

“I swear, if this is an ‘I’m older than you’ thing...”

“No, more of an ‘I know this isn’t for you thing,’ unless you turned into a mad punk thrasher when I wasn’t paying attention.” The truck lurches a bit as it pulls into the Blackwell parking lot. “Anyways, this is you. Do you need my number? I never changed it.”

“I’ve still got your contact…” Max admits softly, and Chloe just kind of stares at her before nodding.

“Some things never change I guess.”

“Maybe, or maybe there’s a thrasher in me just waiting to be born!” Max says with as much of a smile as she can muster while she starts getting ready to get out. “And seriously, thanks for the ride, I would have been out there for like an hour if I’d taken the bus. See you tomorrow?”

“You bet your boney white ass on it.”

Max shuts the door, grabs the tripod from the bed and waves goodbye as Chloe wastes no time peeling out of the Blackwell parking lot and off to the night.

As the truck leaves her view, Max leans against a nearby car, her breath suddenly short and her head woozy. _Whoa, my heart is pounding. What was that? I was all… confident? What? Is it just being around Chloe that does that to me?_

_Come on Max, just get it together. It’s been a stupid long day and you’re just overwhelmed from whatever the hell that was with Chloe. It’s so crazy to think that was actually her, after all these years. She’s really not what I expected, but in a good way, a great way, even. The punk stuff is totally a great fit for her._

After she’s caught her breath, she hefts the tripod and walks across the nearly deserted nighttime campus. Fortunately, none of the security guards hassle her and she makes it to the dorms in peace, although her arm carrying the tripod definitely aches. _Maybe I should have asked Chloe to come with me to the dorms to carry this stupid thing. Maybe we could have hung out more? I really should check the visitors policy for the dorms so she can swing by and hang out. Also I really wish we had an elevator. Taking all these stairs with a stupid heavy tripod is such a pain!_

By the time she’s reached her floor, she’s panting and bracing a hand against the wall. _Whoa, I wasn’t this woozy when I brought it to my dorm after class. Guess that’s what I get for skipping dinner._

Opening the door, she finds the hall empty and starts heading towards her room, when Kate comes out of the bathroom with her tooth brushing kit in hand and spots her. “Oh, hi, Max!”

“Hey, Kate.” Max musters a small wave as she keeps trudging forwards with the tripod.

“Are you okay, Max? You look pale.”

“It’s just been a crazy night.” Max shrugs and sets the tripod down for a moment.

Kate gives her an odd look. “Crazy? I thought you were just doing landscapes.”

“I mean, I did, but things also took a turn for the unexpected. I, um, bumped into a pirate I used to know.”

Kate’s expression softens into a bemused grin. “A pirate, huh?”

“Yeah, come to my dorm and I’ll tell you all about Captain Bluebeard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I was attacked by brainworms and churned this out in an afternoon. Updates are going to be a whenever thing, but there is a story here to tell and I think you'll all enjoy it. Fic gifted to CHAOSMAXINE because it's all their fault.
> 
> Props to my betas and let me know what you think in the comments!


	2. Not A Date

Closing her eyes as she makes a satisfied sound, Max savours the warm mouthful of tea, letting the delicate balance of flavours settle before swallowing. She’d always enjoyed tea, it went down easier than the bitterness of coffee for sure, but there was something about the way Kate made it that elevated it to an art form.

“Oh, stop it, you.” Kate says, stifling a giggle. “It’s just some tea.”

“It’s really good tea.” Max shrugs as she brings her mug down.

“Well I’m glad you’re in such a good mood. I don’t think I’ve seen you so… animated since we first met.”

Max looks down into her mug as she fidgets with it to avoid making eye contact. “I’d… been dreading how seeing her again would go, but since she wants to be friends again, I can’t help it.”

“She sounds like a really special person. I’m glad you two found each other again. Even if she is… different, I’m sure the Chloe you knew is still in there.”

Max finally looks up to see Kate’s warm and sunny smile beaming at her. “Yeah, the way she just helped me without me even having to ask, it was just like when we were kids. It’s kind of hard to believe, actually.”

“She’s supposed to come by to pick you up pretty soon, right?”

“Yeah,” Max nods as she absently circles a finger around the rim of the mug. “At 7:30, we’re going to the Two Whales.”

“Sounds like a lovely little date.”

Max’s body goes rigid and her cheeks start to get warmer, “I-it’s not a date!”

_ There’s no way Chloe would want a date with someone like me, no way. Just meeting up for old times sake. _

Kate’s laugh is light and airy as she shakes her head. “I didn’t mean like a  _ date _ date. I meant like we have our tea dates. Not that I’d judge if it was.”

“It’s really not,” Max says, shaking her head as emphatically as she can muster, “We practically grew up there, that’s all.”

Kate’s still beaming as she pulls her mug up to her lips, pausing to speak before taking another sip. “Well, I hope you both have a wonderful time, I can’t wait to meet her some day.”

“Maybe, I just need to make sure she doesn’t totally hate me first.”  _ Which she totally should. Maybe she was just being nice to me because I was bleeding? Or maybe she was just so shocked to see me that she couldn’t be angry? _

Kate gives her quizzical look as she sips her tea. “Why would she ask you to go to dinner if she hates you?”

“So she can yell at me publicly? I don’t know…” Max sighs and takes a big swig of tea, hoping it’ll calm her down. It helps, a little bit.

“The bad thoughts getting to you?” Kate asks gently, reaching out across the little table to lay her hand on Max’s forearm, which also helps calm her nerves just a bit.

“Y-yeah, I think so. It’s so stupid, I’ve been fine all day.” Max shakes her head as if she can scatter the thoughts.

“You’re just nervous to see her again. I’m sure it’ll go fine, or I’ll have to have words with Captain Bluebeard.”

The utter seriousness of Kate’s deadpan expression and tone get Max laughing to the point she has to put her mug down to avoid spilling it. The image of little Kate all serious and wagging her finger at the tall punk is just too much.

Kate laughs along, shaking her head. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or just glad that you’re laughing.”

With a force of effort, Max manages to get her composure back and shake her head. “You’ll get it when you meet her. The image of you scolding her is just… too much.”

“I’ll have you know that I can be  _ very _ intimidating when I want to be.” Kate says with a big grin before taking another sip of her tea.

“I hope I’m never on the wrong end of an angry Kate!” Max says with a giggle before she takes a big sip of her own tea. “I should probably hurry up and start getting ready. I mean, should I get changed or--”

“Are you sure it’s not a  _ date _ date?” Kate teases with a little wink and Max can’t help but groan.

“You are so not helping!”

“Just go as yourself. She wants to get to know her friend again, so just be you.”

“I think if anyone has to get to know someone again, it’s me. I’ve barely changed at all…”

“I’m not so sure about that. Five years is a long time. Now drink up before it gets cold!”

Max groans and hastily finishes the rest of her delicious tea, quietly lamenting that she doesn’t have the time to savour it properly.  _ Maybe I can convince her into hanging out tomorrow? Talk about how the… hanging out with Chloe goes. Oh dog, get over yourself, it’s not a date, Chloe just wants to talk and hopefully not humiliate me. I’ll settle for not being humiliated. Does Joyce still work at the Two Whales? Is she bringing me there so I also see her? Is Joyce going to be happy to see me or upset that I ghosted Chloe? Oh, I h-- _

“Max?” Kate waves her hand in front of her face. “Earth to Maaaax.”

“Uh, sorry, I space out.” Max sets her empty mug down and rubs her temples. “You were saying something?”

“No, your phone’s alarm is going off.” Kate gestures to Max’s phone, which is vibrating on the table as it sounds off her ‘get ready to see Chloe alarm.

“Oh! Crap!” Max grabs for her phone, fumbles and almost manages to catch it before it clatters to the floor. She gets out of her chair and scoops it up off the floor before turning off the alarm.  _ Ugh, I hope it’s not this kind of night. Today was going so well, Victoria barely bullied me and I actually managed to answer one of Mr. Jefferson’s questions without making a total idiot of myself. Was that all just karma for how much of an idiot I’m going to make of myself tonight? _

“I suppose this is goodbye for now.” Kate says with a soft smile as she gets to her feet to open the door for Max. “Let me know how it goes?”

“Absolutely, thank yousomuchfortheteabye!” Max hurriedly shouts as she dashes out and across the hall to her room and slamming the door shut. She leans against the door, breathing heavily as she starts to panic.  _ I can’t be late for this, I can’t. Kate said to just dress as I am but… I mean, Chloe already saw how dorkily I dress, and this isn’t a date, but I feel like she deserves me to dress up for her? _

_ As if I have anything to dress up in. _

She moves to stand in front of the mirror, scrutinizing the little eye makeup she puts on during the day due to the minute details.  _ Okay, that’s not all messed up, but is it enough? Should I add more shadow? … Lipstick? _

_ Did I even bother to bring lipstick from Seattle? I, like, never wear it, and WHY AM I THINKING I NEED IT THIS ISN’T A DATE! _

She checks her phone for the time and nearly drops it in panic before racing around the room to gather up her camera, her diary and whatever else she might need before shoving them in her bag and hustling out the door.

_ Ugh! Go faster, stupid… noodle legs! Ugh. I’m a photographer, not a runner! Oh please, please don’t already be in the parking lot, I don’t want to be late! _

She finally makes it to the parking lot, huffing and puffing as she braces her hands on her knees.  _ Okay, note to self, do more running… Where’s Chloe? _

Scanning the parking lot she sees… no Chloe.

_ Oh no, did she already leave without me? Did I seriously blow this already? _

Her phone buzzes and she hurriedly digs it out to find a text from Chloe.

**[Chloe|7:34pm]**

**got held up**

**omw**

**sry**

Max stares at the text and blinks a few times before laughing.  _ Of course this would happen, wouldn’t it? Way to get freaked out over nothing me. _

“Everything okay, Max?”

She turns to find Warren walking up behind her from the courtyard. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine, totally fine.”

“You were running pretty fast, missing something?”

“No, no, I was supposed to meet a friend and go grab dinner.”

Warren’s eyebrows furrow and his arms cross. “And what, he stood you up?”

“No, she’s just late.” Max shrugs and Warren’s apparent consternation turns to surprise.

“Oh, okay. That sucks.”

“Yeah, but it’ll be worth it,” Max says with an emphatic nod before sitting down on the steps. “She’s an old friend. I'm really excited to catch up with her.”

Warren follows her down and sprawls out on the steps next to her. “That’s cool…”

“How’d your Throne of Thunder run go last night?”

“Don’t even ask.” Warren groans and rubs his face, his head dropping back onto the step. “Our tanks didn’t get the memo and we wiped on Megaera.”

Max snickers as she tucks her knees up into her body and wraps her arms around them. “I keep telling you, your guild is trash.”

“Yeah, but your guild won’t let me in because they’re a bunch of snobs!” He whines as he shuffles a bit closer.

“Or maybe you’re just not on my level.”

“Low blow! You’ve been playing since vanilla!”

She can’t help but laugh at the big pout on his face. “It’s not my fault you only got started in Lich King. Or that you’re horde scum.”

Warren gives her a playful shove and rolls his eyes. “Shut up, Alliance weakling.”

“If I’m such a weakling how come I’m in the better guild?”

A squeal of tires causes Max’s head to snap back to the parking lot. She practically leaps to her feet at the sight of Chloe’s smirking face in the driver’s side. “That’s me!”

“Oh, okay, see ya, Max.” Warren says, but Max isn’t really paying attention as she dashes out into the parking lot.

Chloe reaches over and throws the door open for her. “Come on, hippie!”

She doesn’t need a second invitation as she hops into the truck. “Hey, Chloe!”

Once the door’s shut, Chloe’s hard on the gas with a big cocky grin on her face. “Sup, Maximus? Sorry about that, my step-fuck got in my face over some stupid shit.”

“It’s good, I’m just glad you’re here.” Max says as she settles into her seat as they pull out of the parking lot. To her surprise, the cooler at her feet shifts around easily this time as they round a corner.  _ I guess that’s empty, then. _

“Looks like I showed up at the best time too.” Chloe says with a bit of a grin. “I think your friend there was about to try and put the moves on you.”

“What, Warren?” Max has to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the idea. “I mean, he’s nice and all, but he’s just a friend I nerd out with.”

“Dude was hella into you Max, it’s kinda hard to miss.”

“No way! He’s like a little brother to me.”

Chloe mock-winces as she hits a red light. “Ohhhhh, burn, right into the friendzone with him.”

“I hate the friendzone.” Max groans, her eyes rolling as hard as they can as memories of her early highschool years come flooding back. “What’s wrong with being a friend!”

“Tell that to horndog guys.” Chloe shrugs as she gets back on the gas. “Guess you had a lot of them chasing after you in Seattle?”

“No, thank god. Just a couple of guys, and they pretty much all lost interest pretty fast.”

“Their loss.” Chloe says with a grin that puts Max’s guts in knots.  _ Oh no, is this actually a date?! Or is she just teasing me? Max, you’re insane, there’s no way this is a date. This is Chloe we’re talking about, and she’s trying to find Rachel. _ “Anyways, you down for some Two Whales, my treat?”

“I’ve been craving a Two Whales burger since I left!” Max groans, her stomach rumbling in anticipation. “But you don’t have to cover it.”

“Relax Max, I’ve got a job. Think of it as a welcome back gift.”

“Oh! Okay.” Max fidgets in her seat, fiddling with the seatbelt as she watches Chloe in the waning evening sun. Every so often, some golden rays slip through the trees along the road and pick out her features in their amber light. Before she knows what she’s doing, she’s got her camera in her hands and the shutter has been pushed down.

Chloe practically jumps when the camera goes off, but she manages to keep the truck under control. “Jesus fuck! What the hell are you doing, Max?!”

“You just… I had the itch to take a photo.” Is about all she can say in her defense as she plucks the developing polaroid out of the camera.

“Didn’t I tell you not to waste your film?” Chloe grumbles, the cocky grin replaced by a thin lipped scowl, her thumbs drumming on the steering wheel.

“I don’t think taking pictures of you is wasting my film.” Max says softly as she watches the image slowly taking form.

Chloe opens and closes her mouth a few times before sighing and pulling over onto the shoulder.  _ Why is she so upset with me? She knows I love taking pictures. Why is this such a big deal? Is it because I didn’t get her permission? I’ve never needed it before, but she did tell me not to… _

The blurs start to resolve into shapes and she can’t help but smile to see Chloe’s face coming into focus. She looks amazing in her beat up leather jacket, her shoulder-length blue hair catching the amber glow of the evening light and a wistful smile on her lips.  _ Wow, she… looks really pretty actually. Like really really pretty.  _ “I think it turned out pretty well.”

She looks up to see shock on Chloe’s face, who immediately leans over as Max holds up the still developing image to her. “Huh… Yeah, you definitely still got it, Max.”

“So is it okay if I take pictures of you?”

Chloe pauses and then shrugs. “Sure, knock yourself out with your polaroid.”

“I mean, I only use it anyways. I just love the feeling of nostalgia they give to an image.”

“Yeah…” Chloe says, her voice breaking a little bit before she gets them moving again. “Lotta nostalgia.”

_ Oh, shit. I totally just reminded her of William. Way to go, Max, you idiot. _

They both sit in silence for a bit until Max can see the familiar sign in the growing gloom.

“Thar she blows.” Chloe comments with a ghost of a smile. “I’m going to have a smoke. Grab our usual booth for me?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

As the truck pulls up to the dinner, a blanket of nostalgia falls over Max, wrapping her in all the warm fuzziness of childhood memories. The old excitement of spending a day of summer vacation just hanging at the Two Whales until Joyce’s shift was done and she’d shuttle them around town.

An idle part of her wonders what it would have been like if she’d never left. Would the day Chloe have gotten her license have turned into a grand event where she drove herself and Max to the Two Whales?

The jolt of the truck coming to a halt takes her out of her reverie. Her head snaps around and she raises an eyebrow that they’re parked next to a scummy-looking RV in the parking lot. “So, turns out double whammy, Maximo. My dealer is here, so I’ll be a bit longer meeting you. Cool?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Max tries not to think too hard about what Chloe is getting from him as she bundles up her bag and goes to open the door.

“It’s just weed and booze, you dork.” Chloe stifles a laugh. “Girl’s gotta self-medicate. Go, mom is probably going to flip her shit when she sees you.”

“It’ll be cool to see Joyce again.” Max gently opens the truck door, fully expecting it to just fall off its hinges, before jumping out into the rapidly cooling evening air. Behind her, she hears Chloe’s door open and close, and then there’s a patterned knock rapping through the air.

_ Holy crap, that’s almost our old secret knock. _

More warm fuzziness spreads across Max’s chest at the memories as she walks around to the front door of the diner. Her scalp tingles at the rush of it all. The door still sticks in the same part of its travel. The clatter of silverware, dishes and the sounds of the cooks in the back are familiar music to her ears. Their old booth isn’t hard to find, it’s the one with graffiti etched into the table. She slides into the booth so she can watch the door and closes her eyes, just savouring the familiar sensations.

“Well, I’ll be.” An all too familiar, albeit more tired voice sounds.

“Hey, Joyce.”

“Max Caulfield, in the flesh.”

Max opens her eyes to find Joyce smiling down at her, a pot of coffee in hand. “It’s great to see you again.”

“The pleasure’s all mine. Coffee?”

“Um, it’s a bit late, so decaf?”

Joyce snorts softly, shaking her head. “Always so responsible. I’m guessing you must be here with my night owl.”

“Yeah, Chloe’s treating me.”

“Nonsense, this one’s on the house. The usual?”

Max can’t help but laugh. “You still remember my usual order?”

“Burger, fries and a vanilla shake, coming right up.”

“Wow, you’re incredible! It’s been years!”

Joyce shoots her a wink. “It’s called experience, kid. I’ll be back with your decaf in a sec.”

Max closes her eyes and sighs with contentment.  _ It’s so… great being back here. I really should have tried to come back years ago, but my parents definitely didn’t have the money. I just hope Chloe hasn’t had it too bad after everything with William. I mean, obviously she’s been through some stuff, what with the hair, tats and Rachel… _

_ She called Rachel her angel. Were they dating or something? _

_ I probably shouldn’t ask, that’s probably a sore spot. _

There’s a soft clunk and she opens her eyes to find a mug with coffee being poured in front of her. “Room for milk?”

“Please, I hate it when it burns my tongue.”

“Mom and Max, reunited at last.” Chloe snarks before sliding into the booth.

“If it isn’t our lady of the night.” Joyce snarks back.

“Hey, I work at a gas station, not a brothel.” Chloe says while grinning wildly at Max.

“Language, Chloe! This is a diner, not a dive.” Joyce chides before sighing. “You get half an order of fries.”

“Whoa, low blow, cutting a lady off from fries!”

“It’s okay, Chloe, I’ll share them with you.” Max jumps in, hoping to smooth things over.

“Damn right you will.” Chloe grins as Joyce walks off. “So, five years, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m still really, really sorry…”

Chloe blows a raspberry and shakes her head. “It’s cool, you’ll make it up to me. It’s just hella awesome to see you again at all.”

“Same for you. This still doesn’t feel real. Like this is a dream and some kind of killer clown is going to jump out from behind the counter.”

“Oh man, Dad should have never let us watch IT.” Chloe snorts with laughter. “Remember Jaws?”

Max shudders at the recollection of what it had smelled like when both of them had refused to bathe for a week straight. “I’d rather not.”

Chloe freezes up and looks at Max as warmth rolls down her nose. “You’re, uh…”

“Crap!” Max hisses as she grabs a few napkins from the dispenser and starts mopping up the blood before shoving a wad of napkins up her nose.

“You weren’t kidding that you get them a lot.” Chloe says softly, an oddly strained note in her voice as she fidgets in her seat, her eyes looking anywhere but at Max.

_ Is she squeamish about the blood? She’s really pale… _ “Yeah, this is my second today.”

“Doc won’t help?”

“He just gave me iron pills, and they’re soooo gross.” She grumbles as she tilts her head back.

“I’m guessing you’re not taking them.”

“I… take them sometimes.”

Chloe snorts and shakes her head. “Like the time you had an infection and didn’t want to take the pills.”

“Those were really gross too!”

There’s a laugh from Chloe and Max freezes up for a second as she gets a look at Chloe’s teeth.  _ Are those… fangs? No way, I must just be seeing things. Between the nosebleeds and hunger, I’m all woozy. _

She pushes out from the booth and gets up on slightly wobbly legs. “I’m going to go clean up in the bathroom.”

“Sure, I’ll hold down the fort.”

By the time she gets to the bathroom, the bleeding has thankfully stopped. She tosses the crusted up napkin in the trash and blows her nose out into a paper towel.  _ Ugh, I’m so sick of these stupid nosebleeds, and I’m seeing things too. Plus they make Chloe all weirded out. I’m such a freak. _

Carefully, she washes the dried blood away, one hand bracing herself against the sink as she watches the thinned blood circle around the drain in the sink.  _ Perks of only doing eye makeup, I guess, makes cleaning this up really easy. I just wish they’d stop, I hope this didn’t ruin Chloe’s appetite or anything. _

With her face cleaned up she leaves the bathroom. Joyce is standing at the booth, and the sight of a big plate of food sitting on her end of the table makes her stomach rumble. As she walks over, she can just catch their conversation.

“… Paid rent already, can you just lay off?”

“You know the rules Chloe.”

“And that’s why I don’t bring it in the house, chill.”

Joyce’s head turns and she smiles at Max. “All cleaned up? Chloe told me about your nosebleeds. No need to worry about getting blood anywhere, I’ve cleaned up worse.”

“Thanks Joyce.” Max mumbles as she takes her seat. “This food looks so good I’m trying not to drool.”

“Well, eat up, you two, I’ll get out of your hair.”

Chloe rolls her eyes and snorts before she shoves a fry in her mouth, only for Joyce to give her a light whap on the top of the head. “I saw that.”

“Ugggggh.”

Max snickers and starts putting ketchup and mustard on her burger from the bottles on the table. “I see some things haven’t changed.”

“Not enough of it.” Chloe grumbles before picking up her own burger.

“Joyce makes you pay rent now?”

“Not Joyce, my step -shit. First it was all ‘get a job, get a job’ now it’s ‘where’s my money’. It’s hella bullshit.”

Max nods as she takes a bite of her burger.  _ Wow, I don’t think William would have ever made Chloe pay rent. What is this guy like? _ For her part, Chloe starts chowing down on her burger as well, and Max has to stifle some laughter.  _ Yup, she still eats like the Chloe I know, all energy and no breathing. It’s so weird to be sitting across from her right now, all these years later… _

Max studies Chloe as she eats, her eyes picking out all the little changes to her friend in their years apart. She’d never been long without a picture of Chloe up on her wall, a friendly face frozen in time to keep her company in her lonely hours in Seattle.  _ She… I mean, she looks a lot angrier than she used to, but she also looks… really pretty, actually. The blue hair totally suits her… And that tattoo looks amazing… I’m staring, aren’t I. I really need to stop staring and just eat my food. _

The burgers don’t last long, and as they munch on their fries, the conversation picks up again. “I hope he’s not asking for too much.”

“Anything is too much. How the hell am I supposed to save up to get out of here when he’s demanding like half my pay to live in a room I’ve lived in for most of my life?”

“Half of your pay?!” Max nearly shouts, but manages to keep her voice down.

“I mean, I don’t make a lot, since I mostly only work weekends, but still. And it’s not like picking up new shifts is easy. Asshole’s never worked a job like this in his life. It was the army, and then Blackwell security.”

“Wait, Blackwell security?” Max freezes up, racking her brain to try and remember if Chloe had said his name yet.

Fortunately, Chloe fills in the gap for her. “He’s the head of security.”

“Wait, David Madsen?!” She hisses, her voice sounding really small to her. “Oh, Chloe… I’m so sorry, he’s such a raging asshole.”

“Yeah, and he’s on his best behaviour on campus.” Chloe grumbles as she swirls a fry in ketchup.

“That’s so awful.”

“That’s why Rach and I were going to run away, but, well, I’m still here and she’s not.” Chloe sags and shakes her head. “You going to eat all of that?”

“I forgot how many fries they give… I don’t know if I can.”

“Then finish your milkshake and let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Finishing up doesn’t take long, and they both pile back into Chloe’s truck. Max’s foot bumps into the cooler and she winces in pain.  _ Okay, that’s full now. I guess she got stuff from her dealer. _

Chloe notices and gives her an apologetic look. “Sorry Max, I’ll start putting it in the bed. It’s been a while since I’ve been driving anyone anywhere.”

“Having another party tonight?”

“Nah. Just stuff to make the night go by faster.” Chloe shrugs as she starts the truck. “Do you need to head back to campus or are you down to hang a bit?”

Max checks her phone and shrugs. “Curfew isn’t for like another hour.”

“Cool, then let’s hit the road.”

As it turns out, hitting the road means going to the lighthouse. It’s eerie at night, and Max has trouble not stumbling on the trail.  _ How is Chloe doing this no problem in cowboy boots with  _ heels _? This is so not fair. _

Finally Max gives up and uses the flashlight in her phone to light her way, and she scrambles to catch up to Chloe.

_ “ _ Oh shit, sorry Max. I hella forget that most people aren’t as used to walking around at night as me.” Chloe gives her an apologetic look and turns on the flashlight on her phone as well.

“Do you come up here at night a lot?”

“I mean, I work nights, Max. So yeah, I’m basically only awake when it’s late.” Chloe shrugs. “Plus, when there aren’t douchebags partying up here, it’s a great place to just relax and think.”

“Coming up here with you was always great. The angle and lighting is so awesome.”

“Of course it’s about photography with you, dork.” Chloe snorts as she sprawls out over the bench and pulls out a cigarette. “I remember you clutching those old disposable cameras like they were going to float away or something.”

“I still have those old pictures.” Max mumbles as she sits down on the bench next to Chloe. “I kept all of them.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath from Chloe, then she lights the cigarette and takes a long drag before speaking, her voice sounding so fragile that it makes Max’s heart squeeze. “Do you have a lot of pictures of my dad?”

“Of course. I have lots of you two.”

“Can I… see them?”

Max reaches out and lightly touches Chloe’s forearm. “Of course you can. I’ll dig the box out after class and we can go through them together in my dorm?”

“I… Sure, that’d be awesome.” Chloe’s arm pushes into the contact a little and warmth spreads through Max’s body. “I’ll see you on campus around the same time tomorrow?”

“That sounds great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Chloe!
> 
> I meant to have this done for last weekend, buuuuuut that didn't happen so today it is! I hope you all liked this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> Thanks to [machiavellianFictionist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/machiavellianFictionist/) for betaing!


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